Back-spacing device for dictating machines



Jan. 8, 1952 B ROBERTS BACK-SPACING DEVICE FOR DICTATING MACHINES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Original Filed Dec. 21, 1946 INVENTOR @uw @r/v BY am ATTORN EYS Jan. 8, 1952 B; ROBE-'RTS 2,581,499

BACK-SPACINC DEVICE FOR DICTATING MACHINES Original Filed Dec. 2l, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR @Aa/cf.

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Patented Jan. 8, 1952 BACK.- SPACING DEVICE FOR DICTATING l MACHINES Bruce Roberts, Philadelphia,l Pa., assignor to The International Electronics Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a` corporation of Pennsylvania Original applicationDecember 21, 1946, Serial No. 717,754. Divided and this application March 27, 1947, Serial No. 737,694

This invention relates to sound recording equipment, and, more particularly, to carriage mechanisms for oiiice dictation machines. The invention is particularly applicable to dictating machines adapted to scan a helical track on a record in cylindrical form, for instance the magnetic dictating machine described in my cepending application, Serial Number 717,754, iiledDecember 21, 1946, of which this application is a division.

It is a primary object ofv the invention to` providefor the selective control of the translational movements of a head element axially of1 a cylindrical record in either direction. f Another object` of the invention is a dynamic arrangement of the parts of the carriage, carrying the recording head wherein the masseslof the several components. of the carriage cooperate with other elements of the machine to.` provide for engagement and` disengagement` of.' the translation-effecting: mechanism. i

Another object of the invention is to provide for reverse translation of the. recording carriage in a single step or series of steps of predeterminedlength,` vwhereby to provide for reproduction and/or redictation of all or a selected portion of the record in the machine, as will further appear. 1

How the foregoing objects and others are attainedwill be more clearly understood upon reference to the description contained hereinbelow and the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a View, partly in elevation and partly in broken section, of a dictating machine incorporating the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of portions of the dictating machine of Figure l taken` along the linev 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing the carriage drive engaging mechanism; and

Figure 3` is a perspective of the carriage of the present invention on an enlarged. scale.

The dictating machine illustrated in the drawings is adapted for use with removable, rectangular record sheets, as is fully described in my copending application, Serial Number 717,754.

dispersed magnetizable particles, and the sheet is wrapped upon and securedv to a cylindrical form or drum Il), the sheet thereby presenting a cylindrical recording surface. The cylinder IIJ: and other parts of the machine are mounted in a casing I2. Cylinder IG is provided with` a shaft I3; whose` left end is journalled for rotation in side frame' I4 and a pad I5 formed integrally therewith. The opposite or right end. of` shaft mi I3 is journalled in bracket. i6, and pad Il.

Immediately below shaft t3 and to the right of drum I may be seen a driving motor IB mounted on side frame I9. Motor shaft 29 is in -2 claims.` (c1. 2744-21) Figure 2) which is mounted for rotation with a shaft 22, which shaft` is journalled in shift arm 23. The operation of arm 23 will be described more fully hereinbelow; but it should be observed at this time that motion of arm 23 is adapted to carry puck 2l into and out of engagement with iiange 24 of drum |10, thus providing a selectively engageable drive from motor I8 to cylinder I0.

In addition to cylinder Iiiy shaft I3 also cai'- ries for rotation therewith a driving sprocket 25 located on the shaft between Bange 2l and pad Il. Sprocket 25 carries a chain 26, which is in engagement with driven sprocket 21 secured to shaft 28 of leadscrew 29. Lead screw shaft 28 is journalied at its left end in side frame I4 and at the opposite end in side frame I9.

It will thus be seen that the drive train f'or all rotating parts is: motor shaft 2), movable puck 2l, puck shaft 22', flange 24, shaft I3. sprocket 25, chain 25, sprocket 2l, shaft 28 and lead screw 2.9. i

Lead screw 29 provides translational force for effecting` movement of a portionv of the mechanism axially' oir cylindrical form i9. This portion is mounted on a carriage 3!! (see Figure 3 for large scale view). Carriage 3D is supported by and free for axial and oscillatory movement upon axial way 3l, having a rack 32 cut along one side thereof. The actual bearing surfaces upon which the carriage rides are the internal surfaces of sleeves 33 and 3i.

Mounted on carriage 3|! is a magnetic erase head 25, a magnetic recording head 36, back spacing mechanism generally indicated at' 3l, pointer 3S" (which projects exteriorly of casing I2); hali'nut 39 and a pair of tabs 4l! and 4I. According to the invention, the mass of carriage- 39 and its associated parts is distributed around axial way 3l in a manner to retain heads 35 and 35 against surface II of cylindrical form I0,4 and to retain half nut 39 in engagement with lead screw 29 by gravity. |llabs 4% and 4i, which ex tend below axial way 3i, provide a lever to-which torque moments mayl be applied to remove the lA-1, heads from the cylinder and' the heliV nut from As` there disclosed, such a record sheet carries the lead screw, as wiil appear more fully hereinbelow.

Botlr the rotational drive train and the oscilla tion of carriage 39 about axial way 3iy are controiled by a single electromechanicalcontrol systern, which is clearly illustrated in- Figure 2L Shift arm 23 is mounted for swing motion at its lower extremity on shaft 42, which. constitutes a fixed pivot for the arm. At its upper end, arm 23 is connected with armature 43 of solenoid Mi, and intermediate its end, arm 23 carries puck shaft.. 22, discussed above,l a spring i5 and cross link 46'.

Spring normally tends to pull arm 213 toward peripheral engagement with drive puck 2| (see GU the right as viewed in Figure 2; but exerts less 3 y force on `the arm than does solenoid 44 when it is energized, with the result that the arm is held in its righthand position unless the solenoid is enerl gized, under which condition it is pulled toward the left.

The left end ci cross arm 45 is connected to tab 47 of trip bar 48, which is capable of rocking motion onshait 49. As may be seen in Figure 1, trip bar 48 extends practically the iull length of axial way 3l, so that regardless of the position of carriage 35, trip bar 43 may be brought into position against tabs 45 and 4! of carriage 30. Figure 2 shows the parts in the position they assume when solenoid 44 is energized-that is,

Vwith drive puck 2i in driving position and trip gaging the drive puel; and rocking tripY bar 48 to the right. The trip b ar, as will be seen, cornes in contact with one or both of tabs 40 and 4I, exerting a torque moment on carriage 30 around sheet and removing half nut 39 from engagement with lead screw 29. f

A second -control system 37 is completely carried by carriage 39 and serves to effect back spacf ing. This mechanism is shown in detail in Figure 3 and includes anelectromagnet 55, a

housing i, and a non-magnetic member 52 hinged to the housing member at 53. A spring 54 exerts a turning moment onmember 52, tending to carry free end 55 of member 52 away from the electromagnet. Hinged to member 52 at end 55 is an armature 5S, one end 57 of the armaon point 55 terminates and the full force of the magnet on the armature is now transmitted to member 52, which turns on pivot 53. Tooth 58 now exerts an axial pressure on rack 32, advancing carriage 3B until member 52 abuts on housing 5| at point 59.

The operation of the machine as a whole is fully described in my copending application above identied, and only certain parts of the operation need be considered herein. When the machine is to be used for dictation, the associated equipment is adjustedfor example, to condition the equipment for recording. A record is made by energizing solenoid 44, which engages the drive from motor I8 to drum l'fand lead screw 29. When pauses occur in dictation, the solenoid 44 Y isv deenergized, and then energized again (by a switch disclosed in my copending application) just prior to the continuation of dictation.. Il. it should be desired to redi-ctate a portion of the material, push button 60 (see Figure l), which is connected to electromagnet59 by a circuit disclosed in my copending application above identied, is depressed once for each backward step axial way 3i, thus lifting'the heads from the l desired, until, for example, the carriage 30 has been carried back to a point somewhat before the point at which the redictation is to commence. The associated equipment is then adjusted to ccndition the dictating machine for reproduction, and the forward drive engaged until the last of the material which is to be retained is heard, whereupon the circuit to solenoid 44 is opened, recording conditions reestablished, and dictation resumed. Inasmuch as erase head is energized during the dictation (by circuits disclosed in my copending application above identified) the prey viously recorded material will be erased just prior to rerecording.

The carriage 30 may yalso be manually movedl along way 3| by means of pointer 38, which projects exteriorly of the casing I2 of the machine. This means serves as a quick action device, ,in contrast to the step-by-step back spacing provided by the push button 60.

Either the push button 60 or the pointer 38 may also be used for playback, without redictation.

' I claim:

1. In dictating equipment including means for eiecting translational movement of a head element relative to a record element, back spacing means comprising a toothed rack in fixed relationship with one of said elements with its longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of translation, and, associated with the other element, an electromagnet, an armature in the eld of the electromagnet, a non-magnetic member between the electromagnet and one end of the armature having a nrst pivotal connection with said other element and a second pivotal connection with the armature, and a pawl adapted to be moved toward the rack by swinging motion of the arma'-v ture on the second pivotal connection and to be Amoved axially of the rack by swing motion of the non-magnetic member on the first pivotal connection.

2. In a dictation machine having a head adapted to scan a helical track on a cylindrical" motion of the 4armature toward the lelectromagnet, and an operatingmember connected to the same element disposed in the path of movementY of the armature and operable to impose a back spacing force on said element after engagement of said elements by motion of said armature.

BRUCE ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this. patent:

UNITED STATES4 PATENTS Thompson et al.--" June 29, 1943 

